49ers’ Dante Pettis shines in return to Seattle

SEATTLE — Cornerback Richard Sherman wasn’t the only 49er who made his return to Seattle on Sunday.

He was joined by rookie wide receiver Dante Pettis, who played at the University of Washington, and was able to channel his college brilliance in the 49ers’ 43-16 loss to the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.

Pettis, a second-round pick, had five catches for 129 yards and had touchdown catches of 75 and 17 yards in the best performance of what had been a relatively quiet, injury-marred season.

“I love this city,” Pettis said. “I’ve been here for four years. It’s always cool to come back. But it sucks that we lost here.”

Pettis was eased back in after he missed three games early in the season because of a knee injury. However, he’s occupied a larger role the past two weeks with starting wideouts Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin unavailable.

Pettis has had nine catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns in the past two games. He had seven catches for 108 yards and a score in his first seven.

“I think the more you play the more comfortable you feel,” Pettis said. “And you kind of get into a groove with things and feel the game out. And (you) kind of know what works and what doesn’t work.”

The 49ers traded a third-round pick to move up 15 spots to select Pettis. And Pettis acknowledged head coach Kyle Shanahan had indicated he was ready to see more out of the team’s investment.

“We’ve had a few talks about kind of what he expects, and so I guess you could say that kind of sparks something,” Pettis said. “I mean, it’s nothing different than what I expect from myself. But when the head coach kind of calls you out, then it’s like, ‘OK, I guess I’ve got to really get going.’”

Injury report: It was a painful day for the 49ers’ running backs.

Starter Matt Breida tweaked a lingering ankle injury in pregame warm-ups and hobbled his way through the game until he was finally forced to exit in the third quarter. Breida finished with 6 yards on five carries, and added 51 yards on three receptions.

Breida was spelled by undrafted rookie Jeff Wilson, who ran hard and impressively in his second career game despite exiting briefly because of a foot injury. Wilson had 61 yards on 15 carries, and 73 yards on a team-high eight receptions.

“(He) began the season on the practice squad and now he’s a focal point on our offense,” left tackle Joe Staley said. “And he’s really wanting to show what he can do. I think he’s someone that’s really taking advantage of the opportunity and has played well.”

Wilson did lose a fumble in the second quarter when the ball was ripped from his grasp by linebacker Bobby Wagner in the red zone. The call was upheld on replay review.

In other injury news, defensive end Dekoda Watson (calf) and safety Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder stinger) were unable to return. Rookie cornerback Tarvarius Moore played through a jaw injury.

Screaming Shanahan: On a day in which his team committed 13 penalties, Shanahan had finally seen enough: He was flagged for a 10-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty after screaming at an official about a defensive offside penalty that negated a sack.

“There were a number of things that added up — that were building up,” Shanahan said. “I made a dumb mistake and said some things I shouldn’t have. It won’t happen again.”

Garoppolo sighting: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was on the 49ers’ sideline for the first time since he sustained a season-ending torn ACL in Week 3.

Garoppolo, who is no longer using crutches, had to wait until he had the mobility to protect himself on the field before he could stand with his teammates.

“It’s just nice to have him around the team and stuff now that he can protect himself and things like that,” Shanahan said.

Garoppolo politely declined a postgame interview request. He incorrectly indicated his injury status made him off-limits to the media.

Monster yardage: In his fourth career start, quarterback Nick Mullens completed 30 of 48 passes for 414 yards with two touchdowns and an interception that was returned by Wagner for a 98-yard touchdown. Mullens’ yardage total was the most by a 49ers quarterback since Tim Rattay had 417 yards in October 2004.

However, Mullens had just 114 passing yards at halftime when the 49ers trailed 20-3.

“Yards are yards (and) points are what we are after, obviously,” Staley said. “Maybe we were able to move the ball because we were down by so much. I don’t know. … At the end of the day, you play the game to win. You don’t play the game to gain yards.”